Chasing the Superbloom

In mid-March 2019, I started to see posts about a superbloom of wildflowers spreading across California. Another superbloom had happened the year before, and this time I was committed to seeing it. So on Sunday, March 24, knowing the flowers could disappear at any moment, I jumped in my car and headed south.

First up based on blog posts I’d scoured for tips was the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, low rolling hills covered in—you guessed it!—poppies. It was enchanting to stroll along the paths and grin at other visitors as we reveled in nature’s carpet of tangerine beauties. I then continued to Walker Canyon, more hillsides of wildflowers so blanketed in riotous colors that the highway patrol had closed down the nearest exits and the town of Lake Elsinore set up a shuttle system. I didn’t arrive until after dark, which worked out great to not visit on a Sunday. The next morning I headed over and the place was already jumping at 10 am. Four freeway lanes of cars and trucks moved at a crawl past hill after hill of flowers. I finally reached the next exit down and doubled back, finding a parking space right in front of a side trail. These slopes weren’t only covered in poppies but also in large swaths of blue and yellow flowers. It was a bit of a crazy scene with everyone taking selfies or asking passersby to snap a shot, but it was still tons of fun. I had to make it a quick visit so I could catch up with my friend Michael for lunch a little further south and then continue on to Anza-Borrego State Park, my next 50for50 destination.

I found a cute vintage trailer for the night at Palm Canyon Hotel and RV Resort in Borrego Springs and went a’hunting for wildflowers, sculptures, and some dinner. The desert landscapes didn’t draw me in as much, but I still enjoyed seeing all the delicate flowers pushing up from the dusky, dry ground. The next morning I dropped into Palm Springs for an impromptu visit with my aunt and uncle before meeting my friend Yvonne for a sunset drive through Joshua Tree National Park. We were only in the park for a few hours, and it completely captivated us. We strolled along a nature trail dotted with fragile blossoms and hardy beetles, picked our way carefully through row after row of cholla cacti, skipped and danced around Flintstone rock formations, and marveled at the namesake Joshua trees twisted into whimsical Seussian shapes. After drinking in every drop of a spectacular sunset, we said our goodbyes just outside the north entrance, with Yvonne returning to Palm Desert and me heading to Sequoia the next day.

I figured that instead of sitting in commute traffic after a full day of driving, I should take an extra day to visit one last site — Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. Little did I know that I would be trading desert for snow. I didn’t remember Sequoia sitting at such a high elevation. It was a little jarring to shift seasons in mere hours, but I rolled with it and tramped along snow-packed trails to visit the most famous trees in the park, including General Sherman, the largest living single-stem tree on earth.

Superbloom 2019 didn’t disappoint, and my whirlwind visits with friends and family along the way made it even more memorable. Next time the flowers bloom, go drink in their beauty. Your inner child will thank you, and you may even find yourself skipping too.